About Loren ColemanLoren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

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9 Responses to “Three New Scorpion Species Discovered”

Interesting to see these small scorpions discovered in South America, which is also home to the largest known species of arachnids, such as the goliath bird eating spider (Theraphosa blondi), as well as other comparably huge ones like the Chaco golden knee and Brazillian salmon pink spiders. South America is also the source of reports of truly gargantuan arachnids like spiders which are reported to be the size of dogs. I highly doubt these reports, simply because of the physiological restrictions and physics involved limit the size of terrestrial arthropods, but it is still interesting to speculate on what else might be out there to be found, hopefully not under one’s pillow or scurrying across the floor of the house.

Acceptance of theoretical limits such as the ones he speaks of is really the foundation of much of Krantz’s and Meldrum’s theorizing on sasquatch locomotor adaptations – theories that appear well supported by evidence. And of course as we all know:

DWA and Red_pill_junky – You know, I think I gave myself nightmares with that image as well. 🙂 But fear not, like I said terrestrial arthropods are limited in size by physiology and physics.

One things is that the respiratory systems found in arthropods are not well designed for larger sizes. The prehistoric ones that grew to such huge sizes were able to do so in part because of the different oxygen levels at the time. Another limitation is what makes an arthropod and arthropod, namely their exoskeleton. As an insect, spider, or scorpion gets larger, their exoskeleton of course gets bigger and heavier. The problem is that muscular strength is a factor of the diameter of the muscle at its thickest point. When larger sizes are attained is you have the exoskeleton growing in three dimensions and the muscle effectively only growing in two. At a certain point, the arthropod will simply become too heavy to move its own exoskeleton. The muscles would burst from the shell before getting strong enough to haul the extra weight. Marine arthropods can get much larger because the water helps to support the weight of their shell.

So dog sized spiders are doubtful. But dinner plate sized spiders with leg spans up to 30 cm, as well as scorpions of comparable length exist and slightly larger ones might be possible. (sorry red_pill. 🙂 )